02 February 2007

Farmer Suicide

11 Suicides in 48 hours by farmers in western India.~By Anu. The Times of India reports this week that 62 cotton farmers have committed suicide in a place called Vidarbha in Maharashtra state (home to India's financial capital, Mumbai). The paper calls it a 'Death Trap' and lists the number of suicides from 1999 to now: 36, 46, 54, 102, 156, 324, 412, 1050.

The government's answer is to send aid. The money buys a few people out of destitution. The rest have to wait until someone in their family commits suicide... then they too might escape.

The photo to the left is of Nagaratnama, whose husband drank pesticide in the summer of 2004, leaving her and her young son destitute and debt-ridden. This video below still shows her being dressed as a bride a final time, before she is made into a widow, forbidden from wearing colors, jewelry or any form of makeup.

Nagaratnama's husband could not get loans for seeds and fertilizers, so he borrowed heavily from a money lender who charged 40% interest and sold him duff seeds. When the harvest failed (because there isn't any water, or machinery), he felt his only way out was to commit suicide. Perhaps then, his wife would get compensation from the government. You can watch the full report by clicking the link ...

'India Poised'... 'India Rising'... what does it all mean? For decades, India had a socialist economy, where only a handful were rich. The rest could choose from one television channel, two types of cars and a job with the government... or a little shop selling the same old stuff.

Now, comparatively, yes, India is booming. People here get excited, rightfully, about the endless job opportunities with international companies.. about which car to buy... how efficient a washing machine to get. People here work hard-- really hard. But if you're a maid, rickshaw driver, farmer, or beggar, India isn't poised or rising or shining. It's still a medieval dungeon.

I've been feeling really down the last few days because both my cook and the guy who minds the front gate are really struggling. They both earn about $100 a month, both have two children... and both live hand-to-mouth. Kavita, who comes and cooks a few days a week has lost her other, full-time job. Her husband works as a driver. But even with both jobs, they just get by. They live in a tin-roofed room at the top of a building. Her son has asthma, which is often triggered by all the dust and cold, in their room. His inhalers cost her a fortune. I want to help Kavita.... so what should I do? Send her $50 each month? Yes, I can. I sent Nagaratnama money. I don't know what became of her.

What angers and upsets me is that people like Kavita and Nagaratnama have to rely on the charity of others at all. They're both smart, hard-working women. Why can't they get a loan? Or social security? I hate to rain on India's parade, but the next time you read about the multi-billion dollar deals being done... or the call centres moving here, creating jobs, just remember one thing. No matter how much India rises and shines for the educated, it still tramples the poor. You won't ever see photos of Kavita (who by the way is very pretty, very articulate, and never moans) in any newspaper with a profile of what she goes through everyday. Who cares about her? Why should we?

Fact: India still isn't building schools, hospitals, roads, water pipes or affordable homes for the poor. The headlines only report that it's building luxury flats and shopping malls.

Fact: Until it does, India might make headlines -- and that really is great! But it won't be a superpower. Nor should it.

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I couldn't agree with you more. I was so shocked by the headline "11 suicides by farmers in 48 hours", I was all the more shocked that a few days later, another story made the headline "India to overtake US by 2050: Country Poised to Be No. 2 Economy, Next To China." I could have believed it if I hadn't been in India for the past year, If I hadn't had a chance to see despair in the eyes of beggars in the streets of Delhi. I would have been more optimistic. But having been here, having seen the real India, I am a bit skeptical...